When you’re an IT consultant, you can spend a lot of money on travel accommodations as you fly from client to client. While many of these expenses are handled either by the client or by the recruiting agency (for example, Excite Health Partners), it’s best to keep your travel costs as low as possible to maximize your perceived value.
One place those expenses can creep up on you is at the baggage check. Over the last few years, all airlines with the exception of Southwest have introduced baggage fees in an attempt to maximize profit as gas prices continue to rise and cut into their margins. Baggage fees can be complex because every airline has their own rules and the charge can be affected by many factors (the weight and size of the bag, whether you’re traveling within the United States, etc.). We’ll discuss below ways minimize your baggage fees, but you may want to check out this chart (will open a new window) that outlines the baggage fees for most major U.S. airlines (as of March 2011) for domestic economy flights, which are subject to change.
Beating Baggage Fees
As you can see from the chart, if you’re a heavy packer, you’ll typically want to fly on Airtran, Alaska, Frontier or Southwest (sometimes even if there’s a cheaper flight on another carrier). But there are several other tips you can follow that can greatly reduce what you pay to transport your stuff.
#1 Know the Baggage Policy
Research the airline’s baggage policies carefully to ensure you don’t over-pack by accident and cost yourself more money. Also, take a look at the baggage policies before you buy your tickets to make sure you don’t overpay. A slightly more expensive flight on Southwest, where you can check the first two bags free, could be cheaper than a less expensive flight on another airline with steep baggage fees.
#2 The One Bag Rule
The One Bag Rule works best for short trips (a couple of days) when you’re staying at a hotel. Remember, all hotels have certain standard amenities, like irons, coffee pots, and towels, so you can pack lighter if you find out what specific amenities your hotel has (and what types of stores are available within walking distance of the hotel).
Basically, you find out what the airline’s carryon policies are and try to fit everything you need into the carryon. Take only the clothes you need and instead of folding them, lay them out neatly one garment at a time and carefully roll them. Put them in your bag last so they don’t get crushed. If there are a few wrinkles, you can iron them out later at the hotel. If you do this kind of travel often and may need to have a business suit, invest in one that is less likely to wrinkle (a polyester blend, for example) and that can be ironed. Bring only clothes you can wear with the pair of shoes you’re wearing to the airport and if you wear jewelry, wear something that goes with everything so you can wear it every day. Don’t pack anything that you can easily borrow from the hotel or buy inexpensively at a nearby store (for instance, use the hotel’s shampoo and soap and buy deodorant at a nearby store). Pack any creams or fluids in a plastic bag to avoid messy accidents.
When your bag is packed, check again that it meets size and weight requirements for carry-ons.
#3 Become a “Frequent Flyer”
If you join the frequent flyer programs of one or more airlines, you can often save on baggage fees as a loyal customer. Just check the rules carefully to make sure you’ll really benefit. If the minimum miles traveled per year is something you can’t do, you may not get the discounts you need to make it worth using that airline every time. You may also have to be an elite or preferred member to get bigger discounts.
#4 Use a Luggage Scale
This may seem excessive if you don’t travel frequently, but if you do, it will save you a lot of headache (and possibly cash). If you’re a heavy packer or if you’re going on a particularly long assignment, use a luggage scale to make sure you don’t pay extra fees for an overweight bag. Sometimes, just using two bags is cheaper. If it’s just a one-time thing, many shipping locations (like some FedEx locations) will let you use their scales to weigh things, even if you aren’t shipping them. This will, of course, require that you’re packed and ready to go at least one day ahead of time.
#5 Ship Your Bags
Sometimes, shipping things is just cheaper. The shipping companies have different concerns, so some types of packages don’t cost them as much to transport. Check out the websites for FedEx and UPS to get a quote based on how heavy each bag will be. If it turns out to be cheaper, just box them up and have them shipped to the hotel to arrive the by day you get there (be prepared two weeks in advance to take advantage of ground rates). Be sure to check the carrier’s rules about shipping liquids and other items and mark packages with breakables as “fragile.”
#6 Upgrade Your Luggage
Older luggage may weigh more than some newer models made of high-tech materials like ballistic nylon and polycarbonate. No matter how much you love that you’re carrying the same luggage your dad did when he was a big-shot jet-setting salesman, the less your luggage weighs, the more you can pack. Every little bit helps.
#7 Consider Alternative Travel
There’s more than one way to get from point A to point B. Depending on where you are and where you’re going, it may be cheaper to drive your car. Even if it costs about the same in gas and wear and tear as the ticket, your bags come with you for no additional charge. You can also consider traveling by bus or by train if those options are available.
Saving Money Means Smart Packing
At the end of the day, the best thing you can do is think before you pack. Make a checklist of everything you need that you can use for every trip. Don’t put anything on the list you don’t need for every trip; if you need something for one trip, bring it, just not every time. (For instance, do you really need your custom bowling ball and shoes or can you rent?) Also, remember that every trip is different. As you pack for each trip, consider the items your packing carefully and if you don’t need it for this trip, don’t pack it.
